A Jerusalem court on Thursday ordered a Jerusalem Arab to pay a haredi Israeli NIS 2.5 million (over $750,000) as compensation for an attack he carried out against a Jewish worshipper.

The incident took place in 2008, when the victim was on his way to pray at the Tomb of Shimon the Righteous (Kever Shimon HaTzaddik), a Talmudic sage. The Tomb is located in a predominantly Arab area of Jerusalem, although there is a Jewish community there. Jews in the neighborhood are harassed and attacked by Arabs on a regular basis.

The attack occurred on a Shabbat afternoon, with the Arab terrorist, Hassan Sabbagh, attacking the Jewish man with rocks and sticks. The victim required hospitalization to tend to his injuries, but as a result of the brutal attack he lost sight in his left eye.

The court awarded the victim NIS 157,452 for medical expenses, and NIS 250,000 for pain and suffering. However, in its decision, the court said that it was awarding the victim a special payment of an additional NIS 2 million – bringing the total payment to NIS 2.5 million.

The reason for its decision, the court said, was to set Sabbagh as an example to other rock attackers.

“We demand stiffer penalties for those who use rocks to attack others, and we decided to emphasize the seriousness of the matter and the danger of these actions. We observed the injuries inflicted on the victim, whose only crime was to attempt to pray at a holy site,” the court said.

“It's clear that a stiff punishment was necessary in order to ensure that others see what the penalties for these actions are. The punishment will not restore the victim's eyesight, but it will hopefully contribute to preventing future such attacks.”

Muslim extremists often harass Jewish worshippers in Jerusalem, including on Judaism's holiest site, the Temple Mount.

Just yesterday Arutz Sheva reported on how a Muslim mob attempted to attack a group of Jews - including young children - on the Mount, leaving many of the young visitors visibly terrified.